


Maybe it was peace at last, who knew?

by nanases_h



Category: Free!
Genre: Childhood Friends, Domestic, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Nanase Haruka & Tachibana Makoto & Tokyo, Relationship Study
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-02
Updated: 2018-12-02
Packaged: 2019-09-05 01:35:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,442
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16801072
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nanases_h/pseuds/nanases_h
Summary: “I kept praying for happiness,” said Haru, looking into Makoto’s eyes. “And they gave me you.”Haru and Makoto spend the morning together in their Tokyo apartment, thinking about how big and terrifying the world is, but it’s okay because they have each other no matter what.





	Maybe it was peace at last, who knew?

**Author's Note:**

> This is a piece for the MakoHaru Flash Bang. The artwork is by the amazing, super-talented  
> [aragakiyuki](http://aragakiyuki.tumblr.com/post/180717191251/my-second-piece-for-makoharubigbang-partnered). Thank you for working so hard on this piece despite doing it during your exam season. I had so much fun working with you! Please give her lots of love, everyone. ー( ´ ▽ ` )ﾉ
> 
> This fic takes place during the first part of Season 3, you know, before all the drama happened. Tooth-rotting domestic fluff because my boys deserve infinite happiness. 
> 
> The title’s from my favourite Ben Howard song, [‘I Forget Where We Were’](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ki5HBBEtfak).

Haru felt Makoto’s familiar weight pressed against him upon opening his eyes. He checked the time on his phone, _7:26_. On weekdays, he’d normally be soaking in the tub to start his day. But it was Saturday, and Makoto showed no signs of waking up, his arms draped tightly around Haru.

He ran his fingers across Makoto’s hair and listened to the gentle tide of his breathing.

Outside the window, soft sunlight spilled through the cracks of grey clouds, shining across the walls of their bare bedroom. It was the perfect weather for cuddling in bed all day. 

He felt Makoto stir on top of him.

“Good morning,” said Makoto, smiling, his eyes heavy with sleepiness.

“Morning,” said Haru, twirling the tips of Makoto’s hair.

“Breakfast?”

Haru hummed. “Let’s lie down for a bit.”

“Okay,” said Makoto. He buried his nose on Haru’s neck to plant a soft kiss. 

They curled into each other and filled the silence with warm touches— Makoto’s lashes fluttering against Haru’s cheek, their lips lingering on each other’s naked skin. Makoto was slowly falling back to sleep as Haru traced the length of his spine.

Studying their bedroom, Haru couldn’t help but scream in his head: _we’re sharing an apartment now. In Tokyo._ The fact hadn’t sunk in completely.

Their clothes remained scattered on the floor since they peeled them off last night. They were mostly Makoto’s because his shirts were the only ones Haru had been wearing recently.

Haru’s cheeks immediately heated up thinking about last night. A shiver ran through him while he relived the places where Makoto’s lips had been, feeling fevered touches, and hearing pleasured sighs. He shook his head and squeezed Makoto’s sleeping form.

His eyes wandered around the room and found a piece of paper on the night stand. It was the temple fortune that he received the day he and Makoto left Iwatobi, a piece of home he took with him to Tokyo.

_Great Blessing_ , it said.

He found it yesterday while waiting for Makoto to come home from his coaching job. They weren’t halfway done unpacking their things, and Haru occupied himself sorting out the boxes and suitcases they brought with them. Maybe they would unbox their things, dust off the apartment, and decorate it a little bit today.

Their apartment had minimal furniture. They didn’t have a television. The tub was smaller than Haru’s liking. The bed could barely fit the both of them, and Makoto’s feet dangled off the edge. It was far from their ideal space, but that didn’t stop them from laughing on the floor and curling into each other’s arms every night. It was home and it was _theirs_. 

The loud ringing of their phones broke Haru’s train of thought. Makoto blinked awake and groaned. He swiped his phone from the night stand. Squinting, he scrolled and tapped on the screen.

“It’s Nagisa,” said Makoto. “Aw, he sent photos of the new team members. He said: _Cleaning the pool today to get ready for training. We’ll do our best! Hope you guys are enjoying Tokyo!_ ”

Nostalgia sank in Haru’s chest. The photos pulled him back to Iwatobi. He could almost feel the warm sand on his feet and hear Nagisa and Rei’s laughter with the sea breeze. He’d probably be swimming at the beach by this time or visiting Samezuka to have a friendly race with Rin and his team.

Haru sighed. “I miss them.”

“Me too,” replied Makoto, his eyes lingering on the screen. His phone chimed again and after a moment, he asked, “Would you like to join me and some classmates for dinner tonight? They’ve been dying to meet you.”

Haru rested his nose on Makoto’s hair. He still smelled of their mint shampoo, with a hint of chlorine. “Where?”

“Somewhere in Shinjuku,” said Makoto. “I heard they specialise in soy-glazed mackerel.”

“Okay.”

Makoto smiled at Haru’s quick response and pecked him on the lips. He’d been telling Haru how proud he was that he was meeting new friends and expanding his world.

To Haru, it was nothing like middle school— the first time they were placed in different classes, and the first time they were forced to make friends outside their own little bubble. Tokyo was an enormous city with a population of 13.76 million. They were meant to experience countless new things with hundreds of people they’d never met before.

Every morning, they would walk to the train station together to take different trains and say goodbye, only to say hi again in the evening after Haru’s training and Makoto’s coaching job. They would get lost in a sea of faceless people but they would never lose each other because their lives were tied together since the beginning.

“Asahi and Kisumi were asking about you too,” said Haru.

Makoto nodded and mindlessly reached for Haru’s hand to place a kiss on his knuckles. “Let’s have lunch with them next week.”

Comfortable silence fell upon the room. Haru contented himself by tracing the firm ridges of Makoto’s back. Still draped on top of him, Makoto dragged his fingers lightly across Haru’s ribs.

“That tickles,” said Haru and squeezed Makoto’s hand.

Grinning, Makoto tickled Haru even more until his laughter echoed in the room. The sound tasted sweeter as he caught it with his lips, his hands caressing Haru’s skin.

Haru closed his eyes to savour the feeling of Makoto wrapped tightly around him, their legs tangling together, and their fingers fitting perfectly in between the empty spaces.

His heart swelled with proclamations that demanded to escape his lips. 

He wanted to pinch himself to prove all of this wasn’t a dream.

Who would have thought he’d move to Tokyo and train to become a professional swimmer? Who would have thought Makoto would share his love for swimming to children and coach them? These truths didn’t even seem possible before. He didn’t even think he would swim competitively again.

Haru’s chest clenched as he remembered the difficulties he’d had the past few months. Crippling fear gripped him the moment Makoto told him of his future plans. A future without him. He couldn’t describe the relief that washed over him when Makoto made him realise that he wanted Haru to stay in his life, to go to Tokyo _together_.

“I like this,” said Haru, pressing his cheek against Makoto’s.

Makoto blinked. “Like what?”

“Being ordinary.”

People used to call him a prodigy. Now, he was just ordinary and to be honest, he preferred it that way because it helped him find significance in his insignificance. The world was infinitely wide and there were many other people who were better than him, but that couldn’t stop him from doing what he loved most. 

Then there was the reality that Makoto would always be by his side. He was the only one who loved Haru whether or not he was a gifted swimmer. He was the only one who helped Haru realise that he was good enough and he deserved to have a dream and a future. Those words meant nothing when they came from other people, but when Makoto spoke them, they meant _everything_. 

They’d been together since the beginning and nothing could keep them apart. They were each other’s home. 

Haru reached for the temple charm again and tapped it against his lips. Even though he lived by the steps that led to a shrine, he rarely visited since his grandmother died. That changed when they founded the swim club.

“Remember when we used to visit shrines with the team?” asked Haru.

“Nagisa and Rei would ask what we wished for but you never told us,” said Makoto, smiling.

“I’ve been wishing the same thing since I was a child.”

Did he pray for victory? Good health? Success in school exams? What was Haru asking the gods? His friends had always asked.

“I kept praying for happiness,” said Haru, looking into Makoto’s eyes. “And they gave me you.”

Stunned beyond words, Makoto could only gaze at Haru. He opened his mouth to form some words, but all he could really say was, “Haru…”

He said it, full of proclamations that sent sparks across Haru’s skin. 

Haru leaned closer to him until their lips met and they kissed. Fingers tangled in each other’s hair and dug into their skin. They parted to breathe in some air but stayed close, their foreheads touching, and their hands weaving together. 

They lived in a small apartment, but it was okay because they were each other’s home. The future was terrifying and full of the unknown, but they had each other and that was enough.

**Author's Note:**

> Makoto is heaven-sent can i get an AMEN??
> 
> Thank you for reading! Don't forget to leave a comment if you like the story. I love hearing from you guys! And please support all the other writers and artists in the flashbang. Everyone has worked so hard to provide new and quality MakoHaru content that will,,, keep us alive until 2020,,,, ;-; <3
> 
> follow me on [Tumblr](http://nanases-h.tumblr.com) so we can scream about MakoHaru and other things


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